Set the Fire to the Third Bar
by Miss Faber
Summary: The retelling of an unforgettable night. Short but sweet, one-shot Zutara!


_I'm miles from where you are_

_I lay down on the_

_Cold ground, I _

_I pray that something picks me up_

_And_

_Sets me down in your _

_Warm arms._

I laid completely still on my mattress, awaiting her arrival. I didn't have to wait long; she slinked into my room with the stealth that only a Waterbender could manage, shutting the door behind her with a soft _click_.

She crept towards my bed, and as she came closer I could make out her features in the dim light the candle provided. I had found a scented candle in one of the storage rooms the week before, and I had been saving it for a night like this. Her azure eyes shone as she lowered herself to the bed, lying beside me. At first, her clothes brushed mine, a faint whisper of contact, then she was pressing into me, the entire length of her body molded perfectly and intimately into mine. I longed to share my warmth with her.

I cupped her cheek with one hand, then leaned over to kiss her delicately; a sign of affection we were rarely permitted to share.

"I've missed you," she breathed against my lips, and I stroked her jaw tenderly in response. It was something I knew she loved, and she leaned into the caress, her face inclined towards my palm.

"How are you feeling?" I whispered.

"Nervous," she admitted, chuckling a bit. "There isn't much time left until the comet comes. I'm afraid for Aang."

"Don't be." I tried to reassure her. "Did his Waterbending session go well today?"

"Yes," she answered. "He's nearly mastered the element."

"That's good," I murmured, wrapping her small frame in my arms and pulling her closer. I breathed in her unique scent; it was clean and pure and fresh, and it reminded me of the ocean.

She raised a hand and brushed my untidy black hair from my face. I smiled at her.

"How was your day?" she asked me softly.

I shrugged. "Boring. I trained, mostly. You were there most of the time," I teased her.

She smiled in response. "I know. I just like to hear you talk." She kissed me lightly. "You don't do enough of it."

I raised a hand to the back of her neck, drawing her face to mine. I kissed her lips tenderly, softly, my fingers trailing into her hair. My other arm snaked underneath her body, and suddenly she was on top of me, her leg parting mine, her softness pressed to my lean frame, her loose hair forming a veil over us. I sucked on each of her lips in turn, my tongue occasionally teasing hers. Soon our tongues were entangled, dancing around each other in the Dancing Dragon. We were water and fire, inflaming and cooling one another. The perfect balance.

Our kisses soon became less urgent, but soft and exploring instead. She trailed her lips over my face. I gently rubbed her back, raising my body temperature at the same time so as to share my warmth with her. She purred in response.

"Zuko," she whispered against my neck. Her utterance of my name was a caress in itself.

I hooked a finger underneath her chin and pulled her lips up to meet mine. "Katara."

She raised herself slightly, leaning on her elbows, and I wished to imprint the picture to memory. Her eyes were wide, her mocha colored skin flushed, her lips slightly parted and swollen. The play of the flickering light on her contrasting features and the myriad of emotions that seemed to lie in the deep blue pools of her eyes were sure to be any painter's dream. I held my breath as long as I could, afraid to disturb the ethereal picture.

I touched her hair. "Katara," I said again.

She laid down beside me. "Can't we stay forever like this?"

I looked away from her, and although my hand was lightly stroking her arm, I became detached from this movement. My thoughts wandered from where we were, to some gray, uncertain time known as the future. I wondered about our lives after the passing of Sozin's comet. Being joined in a mission kept us together, but would we be able to stay together after the War ended, when no circumstance bound us any longer? I was almost scared to think about the possibility of her leaving me. I know my love for her burned strongly, and that it would last forever, but I could not bear the thought of our separate duties putting unwanted distance between us.

"You're thinking about troublesome things again," she murmured, pushing my hand off her arm and propping herself up on one elbow to look down at me. _Troublesome_ was our code word for matters of the future that we had agreed not to talk about, for the sake of preventing unnecessary arguments and pain. But these matters haunted us both. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I murmured, pulling her into my embrace. Her hair tickled my chin. "I just love you."

"What did you say?" I felt her eyelashes brush my neck as she blinked. My own eyes were wide.

"I love you," I repeated. My voice was firm.

Katara pushed against my chest to break my hold, and she was above me again, her hair forming a dark halo around her head. As I looked up at her, I suddenly felt afraid.

But the fear and uncertainty disappeared as her face broke into a wide grin. "Oh, Zuko!" She kissed me tenderly, smiling all the while. She finally pulled just an inch away from my face. "I love you too."

I smiled, disbelieving. "What?"

"I love you!" She exclaimed, her grin stretching. "I love you, Zuko, I love you." She began to giggle, and it was so infectious that I too smiled.

When we finally calmed down, a molten tenderness filled her eyes that I simply could not ignore. I held her close to me, cherishing the simplicity and happiness of these rare moments.

Later, when I was sure she was sleeping, I began to talk to her. "Don't leave me, Katara," I stroked her hair, whispering to her my deepest fears. "Please don't leave me."

* * *

><p>"<em>Zuko!<em>"

My eyes snapped open. I was not at Ember Island; Katara did not lie beside me. I was my study at the Fire Nation Palace, stacks of letters and official documents cluttering my desk, waiting to be stamped and approved. I looked up to find the kind, wizened face of my uncle peering down at me.

"It seems you've fallen asleep while working last night, my Lord. It is after dawn."

I rubbed my head. An imminent headache was sure to be coming on. Uncle Iroh seemed to notice my disorientation. "I'll make you some tea," he offered.

He knew he did not have to do such a thing, but still he bustled off to the welcomed task. None of the servants in the Palace could make tea quite like Iroh.

I looked down at a certain letter, sealed with the unique blue wax of the Water Tribes. I read it over, smiling at her humor and at the way she conveyed tenderness and love through mere strokes of ink.

When I had read through it twice, I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by sudden weariness and misery. A taste of bitter sweetness her letters always left me with became prominent. I was Fire Lord, Katara was crowned Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, and the balance of the world was restored. I wondered, however, when my personal happiness would be restored, or if the only moments I would ever share with my love were within my memories.

* * *

><p><em>AN: _Zutara is just delicious. Please review!


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